Drum pedal

ABSTRACT

A pedal having improved means for connecting the pedal removably to the counter hoop of an axially horizontal musical drum including a beater adapted to beat the drum as a result of a foot operation of the pedal by the drummer. The pedal includes means for facilitated clamping of the pedal to the counter hoop for quick attachment and release. The clamping means is resiliently mounted to the base of the pedal and includes adjustable means for adjusting the clamping force as desired.

United States Patent 1 Hoellerich 1 Mar. 27, 1973 a [5 DRUM PEDAL 2,446,508 8/1948 Crowell "134/422 [75] Inventor: John "l wllmftte' Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson [73] Assignee: Slingerland Drum Co., N les, Ill. Assistant E i L a n R Fra klin [22] Filed: 2, 1971 Attomey-Axel A. Hofgren et al.

[21] Appl. No.: 204,273 [57] ABSTRACT A pedal having improved means for connecting the [52] U.S.Cl. ..84/422 R, 269/221 d l removably t th counter hoop of an axially [51] Int. Cl". horizontal drum including a heater adapted to Y beat the drum as a result of a foot operation of the pedal by the drummer. The pedal includesmeans for References Cited facilitated clamping of the pedal to the counter hoop for quick attachment and release. The clamping UNITED STATES PATENTS means is resiliently mounted to the base of the pedal 3,055,254 9/1962 Haviland ..84/422 and includes adjustable means for adjusting the clamp- 407,486 7/1889 Lorey ..269/221 ing force as desired. 1 608,697 8/1898 Moore et al.... ..269/22l 1,564,839 12/1925 Evans ..84/422 11 Chins, 5 Drawing Figures i =49 35 I I .1

PATENTEDMAR271973 Wal a-r1 DRUM PEDAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention- This invention relates to musical instrument accessories and in particular to pedals for use in beating musical drums and the like by action of the drummers foot.

2. Description of the Prior Art In one improved form of musical drum pedal, as marketed by the assignee hereof, a beater is swingably mounted on a horizontal support carried on a base and swung to beat a'drum disposed adjacent the beater by the action of the drummers foot against a footplate. The beater is removably connected to the counter hoop of the drum by means of cooperating projections on the base of the beater engaging the outside of the counter hoop and an adjustable clamp threadedly connected to the base engaging the inside of the counter hoop clamping the counter hoop therebet ween.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprehends such a pedal construction having improved means for effecting facilitated quick attachment and release of the clamp. More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision in such a pedal construction of cam means for effecting the desired clamped attachment of the pedal to the drum counter hoop by a simple swinging movement of a lever attached to the cam means for substantially.instantaneous clamping action. The clamp means may utilize resilient mounting means for cooperation with the cam structure to provide desired clamping force as a result of the operation of the cam actuating means.

Further, means may be provided on the clamp for adjusting the camming action.

The cam means may include an operating lever adapted to be disposed in a retracted arrangement in the clamped disposition of the pedal while yet providing facilitated manipulation of the cam in effecting the clamping action.

The improved structure of the present invention is extremely simple and economical of construction while yet providing the highly desirable features discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a musical drum having a pedal embodying the invention clampedly connected thereto;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cam element thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a'pedal generally designated 10 is shown for use in beating a musical drum 11, herein comprising a bass drum, extending axially horizontally so as to have one head 12 thereof struck by a heater 13 of the pedal 10 as a result of operation of a footplate 14 by the drummers foot. The present invention is concerned primarily withthe provision of a new and improved means generally designated 15 for clamping the pedal removably to the counter hoop 16 of the drum.

More specifically, the pedal includes a base 17 having a pair of upstanding side posts 18 with a cross shaft 19 journalled in suitable bearings 20 adjacent the upper ends of the posts. A connector 21 is fixed to the cross shaft 19 and includes a socket portion 22 removably receiving the mounting rod 23 of the beater 13. The footplate 14 is pivotally connected to an auxiliary base element 24 by a pivot 25 at the distal lower end 26 of the footplate. Auxiliary base portion 24 is connected to the base portion 17 by an articulated connector 27. The front upper end 28 of the pedal is connected to the connector 21 by a suitable strap 29 whereby the footplate 14 may be folded into a collapsed arrangement adjacent the posts 18 when desired. In the extended arrangement of FIG. ,1, the drummer effects a beating of the drum head 12 by depressing the footplate 14 so as to pull down on strap 29 and thereby swing the beater 13 about the axis of the cross shaft 19 to strike the drum head with the beater element 30 at the outer end of the beater rod 23.

The pedal is associated with the drum, as discussed above, by a releasable clamp means 15 engaging the counter hoop 16 at the bottom of the vdrum with the drum arranged axially horizontally, as shown in FIG. 1.

A pair of spurs 54 may be threaded through the base 17 adjacent the opposite post 18 to project adjustably downwardly from thebasethereby to hold the drum assembly from creeping forwardly during the beating operation in the conventional manner.

Referring now more specifically to FIGS. 2 through 5, base 17 includes a pair of forwardly projecting legs 31 having suitably inclined upper surfaces 32 to accommodate the curvature of the outer surface 33 of the counter hoop 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The clamp means further includes a clamp member 34 having a downturned end 35 adapted to engage the upper surface 36 of the counter hoop for cooperating with legs 31 to clamp the pedal to the counter hoop, as shown in FIG. 4. Clamp member 34 is provided with a central opening 37 adapted to receive a screw rod 38 upstanding from base 17 and having threaded to the upper end thereof a knurled nut 39 adjustably engaging the upper. surface 40.of the clamp member. A helical coil spring 41 is compressed between the undersurface 42 of the clamp member and an upper surface 43 of base 17 to resiliently support the mid-portion of the clamp member.

The clamp member 34 is swung about a horizontal axis at the upper end of spring 41 by a cam 44 pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 45 carried by base 17 subjacent the rear end 46 of the cam member. The cam includes an upper bevelled camming surface 47 engagingthe lower end 48 of a screw 49 threaded downwardly through cam member end 46 and provided at its upper end'with a thumbpie'ce 50 for'manually adjusting the threaded mounting thereof in the cam member. The lower surface 51 of the cam 44 is slidably carried on a suitable washer 52 mounted on the pivot post 45. As best seen in FIG. 5, an elongated handle 53 extends radially outwardly from cam 44 for facilitated manual swinging of the cam about the axis of pivot pin 45. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle 53 may be swung from a released position (shown in dotted lines) adjacent the lefthand post 18' to a maximum clamping position (shown in full lines) adjacent the righthand post so as to be substantially parallel to the drum head 12 in the extreme positions. As the handle 53 is readily accessible subjacent the footplate 14, facilitated manipulation of the cam is effected by the simple swinging of the handle through this space from the retracted position to a position wherein the rise of the cam surface provides a sufficient force of cam member end 35 against the upper surface 36 of the counter hoop to effect the desired clamped retention of the beater to the drum. The total swing of the handle necessary to effect such clamping action is controlled by the adjustment of screw 49 and the adjustment of nut 39 on the upper end of threaded post 38 which serves as a fulcrum for the clamping action. By suitable coordinated adjustment of these threaded elements,

adjustment in the clamping force effected by spring 41 may also be effected as desired by the user.

The base 17 may be provided with a pair of upstanding walls 55 extending to adjacent the sides of the clamp member, as shown in FIG. 3, thereby limiting the swinging movement of the clamp member in a horizontal axis about the axis ofthe screw rod 38. Thus, the use of clamp means 15 is extremely simple. With the pedal in the extended arrangement of FIG. 1, the user merely slides the legs 31 under the counter hoop surface 33 with the clamp member portion 35 released upwardly by the disposition of the cam in the retracted position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The-user then merely swings the handle 53 in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 3, to the clamping position wherein the camming surface 47 acting against screw 49 pivots the clamp member about the upper end of the spring 41 to provide the desired clamping force of clamp member end 35 against the upper surface 36 of the counter hoop. Reversely similarly, when it is desired to remove the pedal from the drum, the user need merely swing the handle 53 back to the retracted position to completely free the hoop from the drum. As indicated above, adjustment in the disposition of the clamp so as to provide adjusted clamping force and accommodate the clamp member to different thickness counter hoops may be readily effected by means of the threaded elements 39 and 49.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of the broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.

I claim:

1. In a pedal, structure for connecting the pedal removably to the counterhoop of an axially horizontal drum comprising: a base member having means for conformably engaging the outer surface of the counter hoop; a cam element;'means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member; means for manually adjustably positioning said cam element; a clamp carried by said base member and having one end portion defining a clamp surface adapted to bear against the inner surface of a counter hoop having its outer surface engaged by said base member means, a mid-portion, and a second end portion in engagement with said cam element; adjustable means on said base member for pivotally supporting said mid-portion of the clamp, and means for adjusting the camming force application between the cam element and the clamp member, said cam element, camming force adjusting means, and second clamp end portion being cooperatively arranged to cause forcible pivoting of the clamp and resultant, adjustable clamping of said clamping surface of the clamp against said inner counter hoop surface as a function of the manual adjustment of said cam element. 7 I

2 The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein a bearing element is threaded to said clamp for engaging said cam means, said bearing element defining said means for adjusting the camming force application between the cam element and clamp member.

3. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said cam element is provided with an integral handle projecting outwardly away from said base member.

4. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said base member is provided with stop means for limiting the maximum movement of said cam element to a position of maximum desired clamping force of said clamp means against said counter hoop.

5. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said base member isprovided with stop means for limiting the maximum movement of said cam element to a position of maximum desired release of the clamping force of said clamp means against said counter hoop.

6. The pedal structure of claim I wherein said means on the base pivotally supporting said mid-portion of the clamp defines a shoulder overlying said clamp mid-portion, and a spring engaging said mid-portion for urging said mid-portion against said shoulder.

7. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member comprises vertical pivot means.

8. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said cam element is provided with an integral handle projecting outwardly away from said base member and cooperatively associated with said cam means to extend substantially parallel to the vertical plane defined by the outer edge of the counter hoop in the counter hoop clamping arrangement of the pedal structure.

9. In a pedal, structure for connecting the pedal removably to the counterhoop of an axially horizontal drum comprising a base member having means for conformably engaging the outer surface of the counter hoop; a cam element; means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member; means for manually adjustably positioning said cam element; a clamp carried by said base member and having one end portion between the cam element and the clamp member, said cam element, camming force adjusting means, and second clamp end portion being cooperatively arranged to cause forcible pivoting of the clamp and resultant adjustable clamping of said clamping surface of the clamp against said inner counter hoop surface as a function of the manual adjustment of said cam ele-- ment; and adjustable means for adjusting the disposition of said shoulder relative to the base-member for further adjustment of the pressure which said clamping surface exerts on said counter hoop in the clamped association thereof. 

1. In a pedal, structure for connecting the pedal removably to the counterhoop of an axially horizontal drum comprising: a base member having means for conformably engaging the outer surface of the counter hoop; a cam element; means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member; means for manually adjustably positioning said cam element; a clamp carried by said base member and having one end portion defining a clamp surface adapted to bear against the inner surface of a counter hoop having its outer surface engaged by said base member means, a mid-portion, and a second end portion in engagement with said cam element; adjustable means on said base member for pivotally supporting said mid-portion of the clamp, and means for adjusting the camming force application between the cam element and the clamp member, said cam element, camming force adjusting means, and second clamp end portion being cooperatively arranged to cause forcible pivoting of the clamp and resultant adjustable clamping of said clamping surface of the clamp against said inner counter hoop surface as a function of the manual adjustment of said cam element.
 2. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein a bearing element is threaded to said clamp for engaging said cam means, said bearing element defining said means for adjusting the camming force application between the cam element and clamp member.
 3. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said cam element is provided with an integral handle projecting outwardly away from said base member.
 4. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said base member is provided with stop means for limiting the maximum movement of said cam element to a position of maximum desired clamping force of said clamp means against said counter hoop.
 5. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said base member is provided with stop means for limiting the maximum movement of said cam element to a position of maximum desired release of the clampIng force of said clamp means against said counter hoop.
 6. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said means on the base pivotally supporting said mid-portion of the clamp defines a shoulder overlying said clamp mid-portion, and a spring engaging said mid-portion for urging said mid-portion against said shoulder.
 7. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member comprises vertical pivot means.
 8. The pedal structure of claim 1 wherein said cam element is provided with an integral handle projecting outwardly away from said base member and cooperatively associated with said cam means to extend substantially parallel to the vertical plane defined by the outer edge of the counter hoop in the counter hoop clamping arrangement of the pedal structure.
 9. In a pedal, structure for connecting the pedal removably to the counterhoop of an axially horizontal drum comprising a base member having means for conformably engaging the outer surface of the counter hoop; a cam element; means for movably mounting the cam element to said base member; means for manually adjustably positioning said cam element; a clamp carried by said base member and having one end portion defining a clamp surface adapted to bear against the inner surface of a counter hoop having its outer surface engaged by said base member means, a mid-portion, and a second end portion in engagement with said cam element; means on said base member defining a shoulder for pivotally supporting said clamp, and means for adjusting the camming force application between the cam element and the clamp member, said cam element, camming force adjusting means, and second clamp end portion being cooperatively arranged to cause forcible pivoting of the clamp and resultant adjustable clamping of said clamping surface of the clamp against said inner counter hoop surface as a function of the manual adjustment of said cam element; and adjustable means for adjusting the disposition of said shoulder relative to the base member for further adjustment of the pressure which said clamping surface exerts on said counter hoop in the clamped association thereof.
 10. The pedal structure of claim 9 wherein adjustable means are provided on said clamp for adjustably engaging said cam means to cooperate with said adjustable shoulder for providing an adjusted clamping force corresponding to different positions of said cam element.
 11. The pedal structure of claim 9 wherein said camming force adjusting means comprises a bearing element threaded to said clamp for engaging said cam means to cooperate with said adjustable shoulder for providing an adjusted clamping force corresponding to different positions of said cam element. 